How much does a notary cost in North Carolina?

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North Carolina specifics

Fee schedule: North Carolina caps notary fees at $10 per notarized principal signature (or per person for an oath/affirmation without a signature) for a standard paper acknowledgment, jurat, verification, proof, or oath/affirmation, at $15 per signature for in-person electronic (IPEN) acts, and at $25 per notarized principal signature for remote notarization, though remote online notarization is authorized in statute but not yet operational statewide.

Travel fees: G.S. 10B-31 permits, in addition to the per-act fee, 'actual mileage at the federal business mileage rate if the travel reimbursement is agreed to by the principal in writing prior to the travel.' There is no fixed dollar cap; the cap is the IRS/federal standard business mileage rate (the 2025 rate was $0.70/mile) multiplied by actual miles, and it requires a written agreement made before the notary travels. NOTE: this reimbursement allowance was added by S.L. 2023-57; the older prohibition on charging for travel/mileage no longer reflects current law.

Fees are charged PER notarized principal signature (or per person for a signatureless oath/affirmation), NOT per document — a document with three signers can be billed up to 3x the per-act cap.

$10/$15/$25 are legal MAXIMUMS, not set prices; a notary may charge less, and many mobile notaries bundle a separate itemized 'service/convenience' fee on top of the statutory act fee.

A mobile notary MAY add travel cost, but only as actual mileage at the federal business mileage rate and only if you agree to it in writing BEFORE the notary travels (G.S. 10B-31) — a flat undisclosed 'trip fee' exceeding that is not authorized by the fee statute.

In-person electronic notarization (IPEN) is a distinct, higher-capped act ($15/signature) from standard paper notarization ($10/signature).

Remote online notarization's $25 cap exists in law but you generally cannot obtain a RON from an NC-commissioned notary yet — the program is not operational; Emergency Video Notarization is the interim stopgap.

Older NC notary-audience material stating you 'cannot charge for travel or mileage' is outdated — the S.L. 2023-57 amendment added the federal-mileage reimbursement allowance.

Remote online notarization: RON · Authorized, not operational — Remote (electronic) notarization is authorized under the Remote Electronic Notarization Act (RENA), codified in Chapter 10B, Article 2, Part 4A, and the $25-per-signature cap sits in G.S. 10B-31 — but it is not yet operational. The NC Secretary of State's eNotary Solution Providers page is 'under construction' with no approved remote providers listed, existing providers are not onboarding remote eNotaries until systems meet the new compliance standards (applications targeted to open Oct 2025, platforms projected Jan 2026, not confirmed live), and Emergency Video Notarization (EVN) remains the interim mechanism with a proposed extension running 'until the first license is issued for Remote Electronic Notarizations,' indicating no REN license had been issued as of the date checked. In-person electronic notarization (IPEN, capped at $15) IS operational. Interstate recognition: North Carolina recognizes notarial acts, including valid remote online notarizations, performed by notaries commissioned in other states where authorized, so signers can still obtain a RON from an out-of-state RON notary even though NC-commissioned notaries generally cannot yet perform one in-state.

Before you pay

• Ask to confirm the notary's commission is current (a mobile notary should be happy to show it).
• Get the total quoted upfront and itemized — the $10 per notarized principal signature notarial fee separate from any travel/convenience fee.
• Ask for a receipt.
• For online/remote notarization, confirm the party receiving your document accepts it.